“If that little smile she just gave him is anything to go by, I think Miss Ellie May concurs,” Rory said, wanting Lydia to know Ellen wasn’t above succumbing to the detective’s charm.
“What do you think, Princess? Did his vote earn him more cookies? He is working hard, and he did say they were the best cookies he’s ever had. That was truly a nice thing to say. What do you think? Should I say yes?” Lydia feathered a series of light kisses over the side of her daughter’s face and neck.
Ellen nodded vigorously even as she giggled and squirmed. She was obviously ticklish around her ear and neck, and her mom was hitting every sensitive spot.
“Thank you, Miss Ellie May Rider,” Detective Larrsen said in a very solemn tone as he scooped more cookies onto his plate and returned to the table to join Cindy.
“Well done,” Cindy approved.
Rory found herself smiling all the way to Lydia’s apartment. For the first time in her life, she had amazing friends.
10
The front door to Gideon’s home opened into a huge space with a high ceiling. The walls angled inward the way the building did, but that in no way took away from the large open area his living room provided. Gideon was waiting for Rory on a couch made of black leather. It was wide and long with a high back. There were several throws on it, each one a different shade of gray. Before, she hadn’t really looked at how the house itself was painted or decorated, but she found the colors rather soothing. Mostly, she looked at Gideon.
There was a distinct gray cast under his tough features, but his blue eyes lit up the moment she entered his home. The fact that he wasn’t on his rooftop told Rory more than anything else that he was really injured.
Rory was totally unprepared for the way the sight of him would drive the strength from her legs, leaving her so weak she could barely stand. She clutched the bags from the restaurant, justdrinking him in. Inhaling his scent. Feeling she might faint. “I was worried about you.”
“Why are you standing over there?” He crooked his finger at her. “It would be nice if you were right here.” He indicated the spot beside him on the sofa.
“I like looking at you.” She couldn’t move. She couldn’t do anything but stare at him, grateful he was alive.
“You could look at me while sitting next to me.” He patted the spot beside him on the wide couch.
Rory gripped the bags of food tighter. “You really scared me, Gideon.” She tried not to sound accusatory. “I couldn’t reach you. I didn’t know if you were alive or dead until Javier finally talked to me.” She didn’t bother to try to keep the pain from her voice because it would have been impossible. At that moment, it didn’t even matter to her how much of her feelings she was giving away. She’d been so confused on whether to stay or go. Having been terrified she’d lost him, and now seeing him, she knew he was too important.
“I’m sorry, Red. I didn’t have time to tell one of my brothers to reassure you.”
“I thought I hurt you. Maybe killed you when I found out you really had awakened me from my dream.” For one terrible moment she felt herself choke. Her lungs burned. Her throat felt raw. She had to fight past the gut-wrenching pain at the thought of losing him. “I believed I pulled you into my nightmare, and somehow, I might have harmed you. I’ve read about things like that happening. I know they do happen.”
She felt weak just looking at him now that she could see he was alive. Her knees felt like jelly. She leaned against the wall, clutching the takeout bags. All along, she’d felt a strong compulsion to come to San Francisco. Specifically, she’d been drawn to the wharf.For the first time, she’d found a place of work where she’d met people she liked enough to want to stay. She’d found friends at her apartment building who tempted her to stay. Looking at Gideon, she knew he had been the one to draw her here. It was the intense connection between them.
Gideon was a magnet she couldn’t resist, and she’d felt his need, his call, the intensity of their chemistry and connection, not just physical but far deeper. She had been lonely all along, and suddenly, there he was, offering her everything she’d ever wanted. She just hadn’t realized the bounty had been coming from him.
“You didn’t do anything to me. What happened was all me.”
She studied his face. Those sharp angles and planes. His features might be a bit gray beneath his skin, but he still looked as dangerous as ever. She thought he might never lose that feature even as he grew older.
“Come here, sweetheart.” His tone was soft. Compelling. “I need you next to me. I didn’t like worrying about you any more than you liked worrying about me.”
She could see that was true. Taking a deep breath, Rory went to him, settled on the leather couch right beside him. The moment she sank down, his heat seemed to envelop her. His scent. She wanted to throw herself into his arms, but she was afraid of hurting him.
Gideon took the two bags of food from her and put them on the end table. Turning to her, he framed her face and very slowly bent his head to hers, giving her every chance to pull away. She watched him coming toward her. Those icy blue eyes that were no longer ice but had gone deep blue. Filled with emotions she didn’t know how to read. He had silver rings around the blue. Dark, thick lashes.
Then his lips brushed hers, and a million butterflies took flight in her stomach. He tilted her head up, and she parted her lips when his tongue slid across the seam, seeking entrance. She tasted him.Gideon. His touch was gentle. Lips just brushing back and forth. He transferred his hold to her nape, one large palm curling around her neck possessively while the other fit along the back of her head.
The pressure was slow and steady as he drew her closer to him. She would have stayed a distance away, not because she didn’t want to be as close as possible but because she didn’t know where he was injured, and Javier had indicated that he could have died. There was no resisting. She should have, but the temptation was too great. She wanted his kisses. She needed them.
Her heart accelerated. Pounded. Her breasts ached. Her nipples hardened into tight peaks. Her stomach somersaulted. She clutched at his shoulders, digging her fingers into the hard muscles there, her only anchor when his teeth tugged at her lower lip with exquisite gentleness. Her sex clenched, panties going damp. Gideon might be at death’s door, but he was lethal.
He kissed the corners of her mouth, his tongue teasing at the seam and then along her bottom lip again. He placed a velvet caress along her upper lip and then, without warning, bit down harder on her lower lip, his teeth sinking in and holding to tug until she gave a little gasp. At once, his tongue slid over the little sting, soothing and caressing.
His lips coaxed hers and she opened to him. His fist bunched in her hair, tightened in her scalp as his tongue swept in. Just like that, she belonged to him all over again. He was pure fire pouring into her. Ruling her. Hot bright flames showered down around her like rain. They came together in a storm of such intensity that it felt like a crown fire raging out of control. The hunger kept building rather than abating as they fed one another more and more explosive fuel. The blaze roared hotter than ever.
Rory couldn’t stand the weight of her clothes and wanted them gone. She needed to touch his skin, not the fabric of his shirt, and she found the hem so she could slide her palm under it. Themoment she did, she encountered a long piece of gauze. She pulled her hand back and let out a small sound of anxiety.
“Gideon.” She whispered his name as she leaned against the hand in her hair.
